This invention relates to an on-the-fly paper stack handler which may be part of an envelope stuffing machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,941 issued Oct. 17, 1997 to Long et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,990 issued Jul. 11, 1995 to Long disclose on-the-fly envelope stuffing machines. These machines comprise a tray conveyor with trays for holding stacks of inserts. After a stack of inserts is placed on a tray, a pair of flippers may be pivoted about a pivot mount near the rear of the tray into a position over the stack. The tray is cammed toward an envelope conveyor as it moves downstream so that the end of the flippers enter the throat of an envelope. Next a reciprocating pusher on the tray is cammed forward, displacing the flippers outwardly toward the edges of the envelope to assist in opening the envelope while pushing the inserts into the envelope.
A difficulty with these machines is in supplying the stacks of inserts to the trays in a controlled fashion and in maintaining control of the inserts while the flippers move into place above the stacks.